Waiting On A Woman "loves the game"

Over the years, Waiting On A Woman has proved himself a tough horse. It's not a surprise because he's been that way since the day he was born. He needed to be just to survive.

The fastest Maritime-bred trotter of all time nearly died after being born in April 2008 at the Prince Edward Island farm of father-and-son breeders Dave and Mitch Tierney. He battled through multiple bouts of colic and sickness before finally turning the corner and embarking on a career that has seen him win 62 races and $501,844 in purses.

"It was pretty touch-and-go for the first 10 days or so," Mitch Tierney said. "He was so sick; we almost lost him a handful of times. He ended up pulling through and the rest is history.

"From day one it wasn't easy and straight through he's been tough. He's like nothing I've ever seen before. All he wants to do is win, and he's done his fair share of it."

Waiting On A Woman gets his next chance to add to his win total Friday at the Meadowlands Racetrack. The 10-year-old gelding competes in the eighth race, a $20,000 conditioned trot, which is the second of three races that will be shown from 9-10 p.m. on SNY (SportsNet New York) as part of "Meadowlands Harness Live."

Tierney trained Waiting On A Woman at ages 2 and 3, when he set track records regularly on his way to Maritimes stardom. The horse has raced in the U.S. for the past five years and is now owned by New York's Michael Polansky, but retains a strong fan following north of the border.

"He's pretty popular still, even at 10 years old," Tierney said. "We watch the entries every week and when he's in-to-go there's a bunch of us that watch every start. There's a lot of pride watching him, especially with the way he's still racing at 10 years old. He's put together eight solid, solid years."

Waiting On A Woman, a son of Northern Bailey out of Southwind Faith, was named by Tierney after a Brad Paisley song. The horse's nickname is Charlie, which was bestowed on him by one of Tierney's young cousins when he was a yearling. The nickname has remained with Waiting On A Woman wherever he's called home.

"It fits," said Kyle Spagnola, who has trained Waiting On A Woman since the summer of 2015. "I don't know if you can explain it. But if a horse ever looked like a Charlie, he's a Charlie."

Waiting On A Woman is a big horse with a long stride when he walks, which adds to him getting attention.

"He's very tall," Spagnola said. "His withers are over my head and I'm 6-foot. He's one of the bigger ones I've ever seen. His legs are so long, he's got this cool little walk to him. A lot of people notice that."

Of course, a lot of people simply notice winning. Waiting On A Woman, who set his career mark of 1:52.2 at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono in 2014 and equaled it at the Meadowlands in 2015, has won 62 of 188 lifetime starts for a nearly 33-percent victory rate.

Spagnola gave Waiting On A Woman a three-month layoff, which ended in December, to freshen up for racing at the Meadowlands. He has two wins and a second in five starts since his return.

"He's a warhorse," Spagnola said. "He's had his problems, but you give him his time and he comes right back. He tries his heart out and he's got a really cool personality. He's a complete gentleman in everything he does. He just loves the game." (Ken Weingartner/USTA)